Stink Bug – Chapter 7

I walked a few paces behind K’eel. He – she – kept looking back at me, fluttering her wings with each hop. The sounds of squawking and clucking floated toward me, growing louder with each step. The light of day diminished into deep shadows as the cacophony took over.

A dark wall of bushes loomed in front of us and K’eel paused. The chatter was just beyond in the blackness, ringing in my ears. K’eel spread her wings and trilled. The forest was suddenly silent.

Another trill answered K’eel from the other side of the bushes. K’eel responded with deep chirruping.

Silence.

The bushes parted, and yellow fire-light fell across us. K’eel trilled excitedly and the chatter resumed.

“Come!” K’eel said, waving me forward. “Come in!”

I stepped hesitantly forward and passed through the gap in the bushes. The gap was closed behind me by two large bird-men. Another hopped toward me. I recognized him by the blue on his arms. This was T’r’bl. K’eel and the others bowed reverently before him.

I bowed my head as respectfully as I could.

“You have made it,” T’r’bl muttered. “I had my doubts.”

I looked up. “So did I.”

T’r’bl cocked his head. “Did K’eel not guide you well?”

“Oh, no. I just have not walked so far in so long.”

“Ah.” T’r’bl nodded. “I am T’r’bl. Welcome here to our home.” He opened his wings and arms broadly.

“Thank you,” I said with another bow. I looked up with a sudden realization. T’r’bl must also be female. He – er, she – was as big as K’eel. This was going to take some getting used to.

“Then you are tired?” T’r’bl said.

“Yeah. My legs are killing me.”

T’r’bl trilled over his shoulder “W’oo’woo. Have you a bed for her?”

“Him,” said K’eel in a low voice.

T’r’bl turned to K’eel, raising the feathers on her head and folding her wings. “What?”

“This is Nate,” said K’eel, emphasizing the ‘t’ sound at the end of my name. “Nate is a ‘he’.”

T’r’bl puffed the feathers of her head and neck, cocking her head at me.

“Yeah,” I said, trying to make light of the confusion. “It’s ok.”

“I mean not to offend,” said T’r’bl.

“No worries,” I said. “We are different in many ways. I think we’ll both mess things up once in a while. It’s ok.”

T’r’bl laid her feathers back down. “Yes. We are very different. But you can help us.”

“Help you with what?”

“Not now. Let us dine and rest.”

W’oo’woo hopped up. “Hello, Nate!” She – he also emphasized the ‘t’ in my name. “I have prepared a bed for you.”

“Thanks.”

“But first we eat,” W’oo’woo continued without pausing. He pointed with both a wing and an arm toward a series of scooped out piles of dirt, lined with leaves and feathers. Nests, they looked like.

T’r’bl raised a wing and pointed the same way. “Please, Nate. Rest and dine. Tomorrow we shall explain all.”

I sighed. “All right, Tr’ibble.” I chuckled. T’r’bl cocked her head. I laughed a little harder. “I’m so sorry. I’m afraid I can’t pronounce your name.”

She nodded. “T’r’bl.”

“I want so say ‘Tribble,’ but that’s not right.”

She raised the feathers on her head. “No. T’r’bl.”

“Ter-bull.”

W’oo’woo trilled low to himself. T’r’bl fluffed her neck feathers and squawked at him.

“That’s pretty bad.” I grinned sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”

“It would be hard to emulate our words with your anatomy,” chirped K’eel. She nodded to T’r’bl. “We will practice.”

T’r’bl laid her neck feathers back down. “Yes, of course. You can help us, even if you struggle with our words.” T’r’bl raised the crest on her head. “You may be better able than us to speak to the Keepers.”

“Right,” I said. “Whoever they are.” I hoped that T’r’bl might tell me more about these ‘Keepers,’ but she said nothing.

“Here. Here,” said W’oo’woo as he adjusted some downy feathers in one of the nests. “Rest here,” he said. “I shall bring you food.” He hopped off.

K’eel nodded and pointed at the nest, fluttering her wings with excitement. “Please. We are so grateful to have you here.”

I tried to sit, but my legs gave out as I squatted down. I fell backwards instead, rolling into the nest. It was deeper than I had expected, and the feathers and lining it were not nearly as soft as they had looked. With some effort, I managed to pull myself into a seated position.

“OK,” I said looking up. I found myself completely surrounded by these bird-men (and bird-women, I guess), many of whom were fluttering their wings or fluffing the feathers of their heads. T’r’bl was not among them.

“Uh,” I muttered. “So, um. What’s for dinner?”

K’eel trilled. “Such a strange creature, Nate!”

The others joined K’eel in trilling. K’eel waved W’oo’woo back toward me. He had a tray of food that he sat in front of me. There were various berries and greens. I looked closer. Some of those berries were moving. I swallowed hard. “Wow,” I whispered.

K’eel squatted beside me. “Yes?”

I was speechless. I wanted to thank her. This was a big deal, I was sure. But I couldn’t fathom eating bugs.

I picked up something that was clearly not a bug. It was a little fruit, about the size of a cranberry.

“T’r’r’icht,” said K’eel. “That is t’r’richt. It is good.”

I popped it in my mouth. It was sweet, but a little dry. I bit down painfully on the hard pit of the fruit. “Ouch,” I muttered as I spat the pit out.

K’eel cocked her head, so I held up the pit. “It’s too hard for me to chew.”

“Chew.”

“You know…” I gnashed my teeth together. “Chew.”

“Oh.” K’eel trilled softly. “We do not chew.”

“No. I guess not.”

I looked at the tray of food. “You’ll forgive me, Keel. I’m sure this is good stuff here, but it’s really different from what I’m used to eating.”

“Of course.”

“These are fruits and vegetables that you usually eat?”

“Yes.”

I touched one of the bugs. “I um, don’t usually eat something that’s moving.”

K’eel picked up the bug. “You don’t eat this?”

“No. Some people do, but I never have. It’s just not something we do at home.”

K’eel popped the bug in her beak and swallowed it. “It is fine. I must apologize that we do not have what you eat. The Keepers do not provide much.”

“Wha…?”

“Eat what you wish. Whatever you like best, we will give you more of. Do not feel you must eat everything. We want you well and happy.”

“Thanks.” I gazed around at the eager, fluttering bird-men surrounding me. “So, um. What do you call yourselves?” Every bird-man cocked his head. Feathers were raised. “I mean, my name is Nate and I am a human. You’re Keel and you are a … what?”

“Ah,” said K’eel, tossing her head back with a quiet trill. “We are Vrr’ak’l.”

I chuckled. “Which I, of course, can’t pronounce.”

K’eel tossed her head back and trilled loudly. “You are a good man, Nate. Human. Please eat. Then rest.” K’eel rose to her feet. “Yes. Let us all eat. And celebrate. Then rest.”

The Vrr’ak’l dispersed. W’oo’woo sat beside me and ate the bugs off my dish, so I wouldn’t have to. Many of the Vrr’ak’l sat down and ate, while others cleared a large flat area, outlined by small fire-filled pits, in front of me.

I was about to ask W’oo’woo a question about the Keepers, when T’r’bl whistled from high in the trees. Everyone fell silent.

Then the evening’s entertainment began.

Read Chapter 8.

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